RECIPES: Recipe Details

New England Lobsta Burger Roll

Burgers are one of the needs of life in our home. There are 4 basic needs if you remember your biology: food (aka burgers), water, air and a living space. My living space is New England, The Bay Colony to be exact and my burger represents this area and the traditions of the area. The burger is prepared simply with a bit of corn, and a good basic ground chuck. It is grilled nicely and placed in a well toasted New England style bun. And then it’s topped with a lovely lobster salad decadence truly worthy of the chilled glass of White Merlot it’s served with. No Pilgrim feast this but certainly a recognizable American treasure! Certainly a summertime classic!

To prepare the lobster salad cut the meat into 1/2-inch dice. Place the cucumber in a colander sprinkled with about 1 teaspoon of salt for at least 5 minutes to drain the excess water. Rinse and shake. Combine the lobster, cucumber, mayonnaise, and tarragon. Add the scallions. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

To make the "burger dogs" preheat the grill on high. Place ground chuck in a large bowl and gently pull apart. Place the creamed corn and mayo in a small bowl and mix. Add the tarragon. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and 3/4 teaspoon freshly grated pepper to the meat and then add the corn blend . Gently combine. Divide the meat mixture into 6 equal portions. With wet hands roll each portion into a 12 inch log on a piece of wax paper. Continue with all pieces. Cut each piece into 2 equal "dogs" Lower the heat to medium on the grill and oil the grill. Place the burger dogs on the grill and rotate every 2 minutes until done. This will take 6-8 minutes.

Lightly butter both sides of each bun. Place the buns, cut side down, on the outer edges of the grill rack to toast lightly during the last 4 minutes of grilling. Grill about 2 minutes or until golden . Turn the buns over and toast the other side.

To assemble the burgers, place a piece of Bibb lettuce on the bottom of the roll and add the burger. In each roll , place a grilled burger dog , followed by equal portions of the Lobtsa salad.